I'll Hang Up First
by LuvStarWars
Summary: In which Chat Noir does some soul searching. I mean, does Ladybug really need him at all? T just to be safe, if anything is added to this.
1. Chapter 1

In which Chat Noir does some serious soul searching. I mean, does Ladybug really need him at all?

* * *

"Hm, I thought the clown look kinda suited ya."

Adrien suppressed a grimace, shoving the magazine to the side. Some amateur with a cellphone camera had gotten a picture of Ladybug and her latest akumatized villain, Reflecta, in mid battle, probably right before being zapped by her 'glamour ray' themselves. One part of the article had been put into bold quotes: **_"Where was Chat Noir?"_**

If you looked closely, you could see him in the background, by the blocked doors… Well, Adrien could see. To the casual observer, he was just another garish copy of Reflecta's blazing pink dress and matching updo. Luckily, in the general panic no one had noticed Chat Noir get slammed with Reflecta's ray and become essentially useless. And after that, everyone seemed to forget he was there at all…

"Shut up, Plagg," he sighed, taking the magazine and tossing it into the garbage. Plagg just shrugged and kept devouring his cheese. Adrien had to fight the urge to throw that in the garbage too.

He was being unfair. Ladybug had remembered him, even been generous enough to bring him along to the TV studio with her. He'd been able to help – a _little_ – but it hadn't been enough. Not in his eyes. Certainly not in the eyes of the people. They noted his apparent absence from the battle with mocking curiosity.

"Is it just me, or is this becoming a habit?" he mused, pulling together his things for school. Just a few weeks before, not only had he been a useless tagalong, he'd been a flat out obstacle for Ladybug, an enemy on top of four other enemies when he was controlled by the Puppeteer. He still couldn't think back on it without visibly cringing. It could have been a disaster. Ladybug could have been hurt.

But she was too good for that. Ladybug didn't make mistakes like he did. She won.

Adrien let his backpack slide to the floor. Maybe he shouldn't go to school today. The thought had barely entered his head before he shook it off. He'd never get away with it, not with Nathalie on top of his schedule for every minute of the day. He swung his backpack up onto his shoulders and trudged down the stairs, calling back a half-hearted, "Come on Plagg, time for school."

School passed without excitement. It was always a relief to him when class wasn't interrupted by one of his peers trying to destroy the school or enslave their rivals, all under the control of the mysterious Hawkmoth. Adrien liked school. It made him feel… normal. Liked. Even needed. The fact that he no longer got that feeling from being Chat Noir only made the school day more precious.

At the end of the day, Adrien took one look at the limo waiting out front for him and halted at the top of the stairs. He couldn't go home yet. Nino had a dinner with his parents, he'd rather get the flu than hang out with Chloe, and Marinette and Alya had disappeared right after class. _Wait- they're still here._ Hunkered down behind the stair railing, laughing quietly about something. He almost didn't interrupt, but his dread of sitting for hours in his room alone made the decision for him. He gathered his courage and walked over, as casual as he could manage, and leaned over the railing to look at them.

"Whatcha guys doing?" he asked, resting his chin in his hand, a technique he'd learned from years as a modeler. _Trying too hard? Probably._

It didn't matter, because apparently he'd scared the life out of Marinette. She fell over, babbling nonsense while Alya tried to right her again.

"Uh, I was just wondering," he plunged ahead, recovering his smile, "if either of you guys would like to get coffee or something before heading home?"

"Oh, I can't," Alya said immediately, "I have a ton of homework to catch up on. But Marinette would love to go, wouldn't you, Marinette?" she asked, slamming her fist into her friend's back a few times to stop her from choking on her own spit.

"I- ah- oh no- I mean- oh yeah!" Marinette managed, jumping to her feet. "That would be great!"

"Great!" Adrien beamed, his heart immediately lifting. "I mean, bummer, Alya, I'm sorry you can't come with. Maybe next time?"

Alya assured him she would, then without so much as a goodbye to her friend, she practically ran off down the street, laughing as she went.

For a moment, both Adrien and Marinette were lost for words. Then Adrien remembered where he was and offered Marinette another smile. "Shall we?"

"I-I do," she said softly, looking a little dazed, then suddenly blinked. "I mean, yes! We shall!"

He waved her toward the limo, then requested the driver take them to the nearest coffee shop instead. Once there, he let his chauffeur know he could walk the rest of the way home, and went inside with Marinette.

"I just wanted to say again how awesome you were, getting a special photo-op with Juleka after that whole mess with Chloe," he said, as he sat down with a huge mocha blended with ice. Marinette almost upset her tea as she hurried to thank him. "You're a really good friend," he added, once she'd steadied her cup. "And a good class president too." He was always surprised, in the best way, when Marinette took charge of problems in the classroom and solved disputes for the betterment of her peers. Considering how hard she found it to talk around him, after all. She reminded him of Ladybug in that regard, so efficient, never afraid to take charge and get things done. Compared to Ladybug, he was a joke. At least with Marinette… well, she made him feel welcome, always.

"That's really kind of you, Adrien," Marinette finally managed to say, "but I'm not that great. Alya's my vice-president, but really, I'd be lost without her."

Adrien smiled at her. She was being modest, he knew, but he didn't push it. In his head, he'd already lined up several comparisons between the two of them, and that was wrong. No matter how upset his recent failure as Chat Noir made him, it wasn't fair to drag Marinette into his baggage.

"A-Adrien? Are you all right?"

He blinked, and Marinette was there, her blue eyes wide with concern. Had he forgotten himself and made a face?

"I- ah, yeah. I'm fine," he lied. "I mean, I…" Why not confide in her, at least a little? Marinette was kind, clever, caring… "I just… I've been…" How could he phrase it without sounding completely pathetic?

He couldn't.

"I just didn't get enough sleep last night," he laughed, taking a huge swig of his drink for emphasis.

Not some of his best acting. Marinette seemed hardly convinced. He opened his mouth to change the subject, but a scream cut him off, followed by the unmistakable crash of glass exploding. Both their heads snapped up, and when they ran to the window they saw what could only be the work of an akumatized villain: three animal-like gouges across the side of a bus, and huge footprints in the demolished sidewalk, leading down the street.

"Ah-I have to go home!" Marinette cried from beside him, startling Adrien.

"What?! It's not safe outside!" He had to get away, transform into Chat Noir, find Ladybug-

His thoughts came crashing to a halt. A traitorous voice in the back of his mind demanded, _Why?_ With his luck, he'd just get in Ladybug's way, maybe put her in danger. Would it be better to lay low, only offer his help if it looked like things were going poorly? Before he'd even finished the thought, his mind was made up. Ladybug was better off without him.

He turned to Marinette, ready to pull her under a nearby table for cover, maybe grab his phone to see if there was live feed of the incident- but she was gone. "Marinette?! Marinette!" His eyes combed the coffee shop, then the street. A flash of her black hair and pink jeans around a corner, in the direction the footprints led. Toward the danger! She was trying to run home!

Adrien grit his teeth and lunged out the door of the shop, tearing down the street after her. On the horizon, a black cloud of smoke and dust was rising. If Ladybug didn't show up soon, he'd have no choice but to transform… But first, Marinette.

The corner of her bag disappeared behind a building, but when he got there, she was gone again. Groaning, he ducked back into the shadow of an alley, crouching behind the dumpster. No choice. He had a better chance of finding her from the rooftops.

"Plagg, time to transform!" he shouted, dumping his backpack on the ground and waking his kwami. He ignored the usual complaints and donned Chat Noir's black suit, then used his staff to launch into the air and onto the roof.

He remembered Marinette lived at her family's bakery, and leaped across the rooftops in that direction. He made it all the way there without sighting her, and his stomach knotted. He backtracked, tried other routes, but there was still no sign of her. Meanwhile, the sounds of destruction were growing closer. Still no Ladybug-

A shadow fell over him, and he whirled around to see Ladybug standing there, reeling in her grappling cable. "There you are, Chat!" she cried. She looked winded. _Has she been fighting this whole time?!_

"I was starting to think you weren't going to show," she said, and the knife twisted in his gut.

 _Again_ , he thought.

"I wouldn't miss a chance to spend a Sunday afternoon with you, Milady," he said, missing his usual confidence by a mile.

"Enough flirting! I think the akuma is in this guy's sunglasses. Let's finish this!" And with that, she was swinging away from him, toward a towering monster in leather and shades, with huge nails like knives that he was using to carve up buildings and vehicles alike.

Chat Noir caught up just in time to see Ladybug catapult over the monster's head, snatching the sunglasses as she flew in a graceful arc, landing on the adjacent rooftop, and snapping the cursed object over her knee. She sealed the akuma, and the monster shrank back into a man, all the destruction disappearing in a swirl of magic. When she turned to him and offered her hand for their usual fist bump, he didn't return it.

"Ladybug," he said gravely. "I'm not going to be Chat Noir anymore."

She blinked, too shocked for a moment, then waved a dismissive hand. "Chat, I told you, we don't get to know each other's secret identities. If you transform back now, I'll just close my eyes." She laughed a little, and the sound cut through him. He wouldn't get to hear that sound anymore, save for news reports and the occasional interview on Alya's blog. But he also wouldn't be a liability to her anymore, and wasn't that worth the blow to his own selfishness?

"I don't mean I'm going to transform back," he said, though a small beep from his ring told him that would happen anytime now. "I mean… I quit."

The force of these words seemed to hit them both like a train. Ladybug stammered for something to say. "Wh-What? Why? Chat Noir… why would you say that? This isn't funny! If this is a joke, it's not-"

"It's not a joke! I'm no use to you anymore, Ladybug," he cried. "Maybe I was before, but… you're so much better than when we started! You're so powerful and smart. You've grown a lot, and I… well, I guess I can't keep up with you anymore. I don't want to hurt you again."

"Chat…" she begged, ever kind, ever forgiving of him when it mattered, "that's not fair! I make mistakes too. We're a team! I need you!"

For one wild moment, he almost tore his ring off right there. If she saw all that he was, just a high school kid, just a marketing ploy to his father, just a lost, scared, insecure boy who questioned whether anyone really cared about him or not… well, she wouldn't want anything to do with him. Problem solved. She didn't need his baggage dragging her down. Still, she'd forbidden them from telling their secret identities, and even now, he couldn't betray her like that.

"This is for the best, Ladybug," he said softly, and he smiled, even though it killed him. "I'm just slowing you down."

Then he turned and walked away, because he knew that she would argue and reason and tell him he was wrong, he was crazy, he was her partner and she couldn't do without him, but he knew the truth and he had to stand by it.

He'd dropped his backpack in the alley behind the dumpster, and halfway back his transformation wore off and he'd had to stick to walking. Adrien's mind was whirling so much it hurt, but the memory of Marinette stopped him dead. Had she gotten home safe?! He hadn't even made sure. Cursing, he broke into a run, grabbing his backpack without pausing, and headed back toward the coffee shop. Maybe he'd just been mistaken that she had run off, and she'd been waiting there for the smoke to clear this whole time.

He rounded the corner and slammed right into Marinette, scrambling to catch her before she fell to the pavement. He expected her to jerk away, to stammer and blush and dissolve into a nervous puddle, but when he straightened, it was so much worse. She looked up at him and met his eyes, her own swimming with tears. Her lips trembled.

"Gone…" she whispered, and then she hid her face in his shoulder and sobbed.

* * *

So I don't know if this is finished or not. I wrote this all in one sitting, it was pretty spur of the moment... and yeah. I guess feedback will help me decide, so please comment? 3


	2. Chapter 2

Funny story, the day I posted the first chapter, unsure if I would write anymore, I ended up writing the second and third chapters late into the night because the little writing bug _wouldn't. Go. Away._ I waited a bit to post to get advice from a writing friend of mine, who introduced me to Miraculous Ladybug in the first place, but also to see if this story would even be liked and THANK YOU, you guys, for all your beautiful reviews! :'D You guys rock, seriously. So here we are, loves, the second chapter. I admit, it's a transition chapter, so bear with me as I introduce some themes and stir up some more drama. I'm finishing up some edits on Chapter 3, so with any luck, it will probably be posted by the end of the day. ;)

* * *

Adrien regretted his decision immediately. There was no connection between Marinette's tears soaking his t-shirt and the feeling in his gut that told him he was dying even though he wasn't physically injured, but even so, his guilt struck him harder than he ever imagined it would. Slowly, mechanically, he wrapped his arms around Marinette, and as her body heat seeped into his numb limbs his grip slowly tightened. He rested his forehead on her shoulder, then he was burying his face in her neck, and she was wrapping her arms around his waist and shaking from her sobs, and his grip tightened even more until he was clinging to her and god, he was crying now too…

The aftermath was quiet. Maybe that was the worst part. The city had been put back together; no more debris, no more shattered glass or vehicles crumpled like tin cans. Adrien almost wished the evidence of the battle was still there, just so that he could rationalize what had happened rather than feeling like he'd just woken up from a horrible nightmare to a world that didn't remember. Maybe that explained why he clung so tightly to Marinette now, the only other person here who seemed affected by the akumatized monster that had just raged through the city. Everyone else just… moved on. Their previously destroyed property was fixed, their day could continue as planned. But Adrien had taken Cataclysm to his own world, tearing it to pieces and scattering those pieces to the wind, and no amount of Ladybug's magic could fix it now.

When his own tears had stopped and his stiffened limbs began to protest how tightly he was holding Marinette, he gently pulled back. Her cheeks were stained with tear tracks and flushed red, her raven blue hair clung to her forehead with sweat, and her shoulders still trembled under his hands. Adrien felt his already shattered heart sink lower. He'd run off and left Marinette alone, thinking he was helping, thinking of himself.

"Are…" he tried, but his voice croaked and he had to try again. "Are you okay?" Obviously she wasn't, what a stupid question to ask. "I mean, are you injured?"

Marinette shook her head, her expression stilling into a numb mask.

"I'm so sorry I left you alone, Marinette. I… let me walk you home, okay?"

She didn't really respond, so he gently took her hand, digging in his backpack to find a napkin or something she could clean herself up with before leading her down the street toward her home. Neither of them spoke on the way there, Adrien too busy replaying walking away from Ladybug over and over in his head, Marinette apparently too shell-shocked from the akuma attack. He considered for a moment forcing a conversation, but in the end gave up the idea. Only when they got to the bakery did he look at her again, still holding her hand in his.

"It's okay, Marinette," he said softly. "You're home now. You're safe."

She looked up at him, but he had a feeling she didn't really see him. He wondered then why she didn't look afraid, only sad. Heartbreakingly sad.

"Th-Thanks, Adrien," she replied, her gaze finally settling on him for a moment, only to slide away again. She looked down at their joined hands, and he gave hers a squeeze one more time before letting their fingers slide apart.

"Will you be all right?" he asked. No matter how much he wanted to run home and crash and try to forget what was possibly the worst day of his life thus far, he'd been a hero too long to ignore a civilian in need.

Marinette blinked, and her eyes filled with fresh tears. She turned away, hiding behind her bangs. "Yeah. I… Bye, Adrien." She shoved open the door to the bakery and disappeared inside, and the feeling of emptiness in the pit of Adrien's stomach made him wonder if people could actually collapse like black holes.

If he thought the worst part had come and gone, he'd sorely underestimated his bad luck.

One week passed, one week and three akuma. Each one Adrien followed closely via every social media sight dedicated to Ladybug, every news report, every live stream. Plagg harassed him mercilessly at first, trying everything from a lecture on responsibility – which was rich coming from Plagg – to insults to his intelligence, but after the second akuma was defeated without a hitch, the kwami gave up and focused solely on devouring all the cheese in Paris.

Yes, Ladybug fought and won, just like she always did. Only someone who knew her as well as he did could tell she was shaken. A news reporter caught her at the end of her third successful battle and asked her the question Adrien hadn't anticipated, but realized immediately he should have seen coming.

"Ladybug, where is your partner, Chat Noir? He's been missing the past week. I didn't realize superheroes took vacations."

The microphone was shoved into Ladybug's face, and the camera was so close that Adrien saw very clearly the flash of pain and anger in her blue eyes.

"Chat Noir is taking some personal time," she bit, her characteristically warm smile replaced with a hard, distant mask that he had never seen before. "Even superheroes are people who need a break sometimes." For one chilling moment, her gaze seemed to settle on him through his computer screen, then she turned away from the cameras and reporters and catapulted onto a roof, disappearing into the blue sky without a trace.

 _A break._ Even after he'd told her he quit, she fully expected him to come back.

"You know, if you're not ever going to be Chat Noir again, you'll have to give up your Miraculous."

Plagg had brought this up before, but Adrien hadn't wanted to hear it. Now he sighed. He _still_ didn't want to hear it. "I know that, Plagg. I just…"

"You're taking 'a break'," Plagg supplied, rolling his eyes.

Ladybug's words mocked him all over again, but coming from his ill-tempered kwami, they sounded even worse. "No, I'm not. I'm done. I told Ladybug that."

"Maybe, oh, I don't know, she still believes in you? Is waiting for you to come to your senses?" Plagg floated over to sit on Adrien's shoulder and whispered teasingly in his ear. " _Maybe she realizes she's in love with you."_ When Adrien swatted him away, he floated for a bit, then sat back down on his chosen's shoulder. "What are you doing, Adrien? You're not happy this way. You're good as Chat Noir."

Adrien hung his head, giving up on his algebra homework. "Not good enough."

"No one's perfect," Plagg shrugged. "The important thing is that you try, and you care."

"What good is that if I'm constantly…" Adrien sighed. His mind was whirling too fast for him to even collect his thoughts.

"Adrien…" Plagg started, then hesitated. "You can't just quit. You chose this power. I mean… didn't you know it wouldn't be easy?"

"For me, that's fine," Adrien admitted. "But I can't drag Ladybug down."

"It's not all about her either. You have just as much power and potential as she does."

"So what, then?" Adrien demanded. "I'm just worse at using it? Ladybug can purify akuma. You've seen her- she can finish missions without me. I can't do them without her."

Plagg just shook his head. "You're holding yourself back, Adrien. And worse, you're using Ladybug as an excuse. That's not fair."

"You're assuming I have all this hidden potential, but what if I don't?" Adrien cried. "What if I've reached my limit and this is all I'll ever be?" He buried his face in his hands. "Plagg, just… stop already. We've talked about this a dozen times. I'm done for good."

Plagg was silent for a while, his green eyes watching Adrien's profile. Finally, he sighed too. "You really will have to give up your Miraculous, then. Ladybug and Chat Noir have worked together for thousands of years. Maybe you think Ladybug doesn't need Chat Noir, but she does… Whether it's you or not."

Adrien winced. "I know…"

School turned quickly from a treasured sanctuary into a nightmare. Everyone was talking about Chat Noir's disappearance. Rumors flew here and there, changing by the hour, becoming more and more outrageous and, at least to Adrien, hurtful. Chat Noir was in rehab. Chat Noir had turned to villainy. Chat Noir was in prison for killing an innocent bystander. Chat Noir had become Papillon's evil sidekick. Chat Noir had moved to America to start his own superhero team. Chat Noir had a son and was retiring from superhero work to take care of the child. By the end of the day, the child was Ladybug's and the rumors turned to gossip about their nonexistent star-crossed romance. Adrien thought he was going to be sick.

"It's not like it even matters," Chloe snapped, her voice cutting over the chatter of her classmates. "Ladybug didn't need his help before and she hasn't needed his help since. Chat Noir was just a clown holding her back."

At which point Adrien stood to excuse himself, feeling actual bile rise in his throat. He hadn't made it to the door before Marinette cut Chloe off, silencing the room.

"Chat Noir has been Ladybug's partner since day one! He's fought with her in every fight, saved her life and taken the fall for her a hundred times, and without him, she wouldn't be half the hero she is today. I know for a fact he's saved _your_ life too! There's no one in this room Chat Noir hasn't helped at least once! How can you even talk about him this way?! You all need Chat Noir, and Ladybug needs him too! Can't you see how hurt she is without him?!"

Adrien's astonishment had frozen him with his hand on the door handle, but as the silence fell he turned, mouth slack, to see Marinette standing up in her seat, her fists clenched until her knuckles were white, pressed into the wood of her desk. She was biting her lip so hard he saw a muscle spasm in her jaw, and her eyes were bright with tears as she glared holes into Chloe Bourgeois. Chloe stood, for once, completely speechless, until suddenly Marinette shoved off her desk and bolted for the door. Adrien dove out of the way just in time for Marinette to barrel past him and disappear.

Long seconds of silence followed while Adrien tried to decide whether he should still leave the room or not. Finally, Chloe flipped her golden ponytail and shrugged. "She's just upset because she's in love with Chat Noir or whatever. She's been a pathetic mess ever since the news said he was missing- more pathetic than usual, that is."

"Leave her alone, Chloe," Adrien bit, savoring the look of horror on her face for only a second before yanking the door open and escaping the too small room. He took deep breaths, his body shot with adrenaline, his hands shaking. If he could find Marinette, he hoped he could comfort her, but that all depended on his own head not flying off his shoulders in the meantime.

 _He's saved her life and taken the fall for her a hundred times… Can't you see how hurt she is without him?!_

Each word cut deeper, battling all the feelings of self-loathing that had led up to his decision to leave Ladybug. If she really did need him, he would never have left her. But she didn't. She couldn't. Because his help was worth nothing. He was worth nothing. No one loved him. Did anyone even like him?! Or were they all just sucking up to him because his father was rich and he was famous? If he disappeared, would they be spreading disgusting rumors about him just like they were with Chat Noir?

Would Marinette defend him like she'd just defended Ladybug's ex-partner?

He almost tripped down the stairs, half running now. He could barely breathe, he couldn't see straight, his stomach was rolling and he just wanted to lie down and curl up and hide. He wanted to use Cataclysm to tear something apart. He wanted to hold Ladybug's hand and call her _Milady_ just one more time. He wanted to go home, and this time, he didn't care that he would be alone there, because at least then he wouldn't have to answer to anyone but himself for a blessed few hours, not his peers, not the city, not Ladybug, not Papillon or his damned akuma.

"Adrien?"

He stopped dead at the bottom of the stairs. Marinette had just emerged from the girl's bathroom, her eyes were dry now, and she was watching him with wide blue eyes.

"A-Are you okay, Adrien?"

He was anything but okay. He couldn't even deny it, lie about it, or act his way out of it. Still, he heard himself say, "I'm fine."

She wrung her hands in front of her, looking at the ground. "I, ah- I'm sorry I made such a scene in there. I kind of exploded. I almost knocked you over!" Her laugh came out a bit hysterical, and she blushed deeply.

"It doesn't matter. I… I'm sorry, Marinette, but I feel sick. I'm gonna head home, okay?"

"Oh… oka-"

All the lights in the school went out. Luckily, the windows let in enough midmorning light that they could see just fine. In fact, they could see very clearly all the cars swerving to a halt on the street outside, all the traffic lights black. They checked their cellphones- dead.

"An akuma?" they said in unison, then both stammered awkwardly.

"We should get back to class," Marinette said worriedly.

"They'll probably just send us home, if the power's out," Adrien pointed out. "I'm… just gonna go. I could walk you home, if you want?"

"I-I, ah… no, that's okay. I'll be okay." She smiled a little, probably the farthest thing from an okay smile he'd ever seen, and waved goodbye before heading back to the classroom. Except she didn't go back to the classroom, she headed for the courtyard in the middle of the school. Odd, but he wasn't one to judge. He wouldn't want to go back in there either after her spat with Chloe. He turned away as she ducked under the staircase (as good a place as any to catch a breather) and headed out the doors. He'd barely stepped out onto the stairs when a shadow passed over him and Ladybug jumped from the roof of the school, swinging her way into the city. He watched until she disappeared, all the turbulence he'd felt a few minutes before returning, but all suppressed by the aching loneliness he felt. All he wanted was to run after her, but she was better off without him. No matter what Marinette said.


	3. Chapter 3

It took time, but eventually the hype over Chat Noir's disappearance died down. Adrien still kept a close watch on Ladybug's fights, and noticed grimly that it was taking her longer and longer to defeat and seal the akuma on her own. Still, she won, and wasn't that the point?

He also began to realize, though he very strongly denied it, that the civilian life was one of the last things he wanted. He felt constantly restless, irritated at things he normally wouldn't be, either too tired or unable to sleep, and constantly his thoughts revolved around Ladybug, as they never had before. Where was she now? Was she all right? She'd yet to be injured in a fight, but maybe fighting alone made her more tired. Did she hate him for leaving her? He couldn't stand it if she hated him, the thought made him ill, but at the same time he recognized that he'd given up any right he'd earned as her close partner and friend to know her feelings. Did she still think he was coming back? What if he did go back, right then? Would she turn him away? Would she welcome him with open arms? Which would be worse? He'd imagined the scenario a hundred times over, with a hundred different endings. But no matter what, it didn't end with him being a better partner, worthy of Ladybug's trust. His grades slipped, he skipped photoshoots constantly, and he and Plagg never talked anymore. In fact, he hardly talked to anyone anymore. He and Marinette occasionally exchanged words, but there was a distance there that seemed to grow by the week, and not just on his end. Marinette was more distracted than ever, and anytime there was an akuma attack, she just headed straight home. He wondered if the akuma near the coffee shop had traumatized her more than he realized.

One day, Marinette came into school with a look of utter defeat on her face. She put her head in her hands and hardly moved all day. When the bell rang, she left without a word. Adrien had never seen her so sad and exhausted before. Adrien followed her out of the classroom, but she had already disappeared. He searched the school half-heartedly for a little while, but eventually he just headed home. The sky had filled with dark clouds. It was truly a grim day.

The next day, Marinette didn't come to school. Or the next day. Or the next. A stillness seemed to settle over Adrien's shrunken world. There were no more akuma, no word of Ladybug either. On the fourth day, the storm that had been building finally broke, rain battered the earth, and the teacher told them gravely that Marinette had gone missing. Adrien's heart hit his toes like a sinking rock. Had she disappeared that day he looked for her after class? Was this his fault because he'd been too busy feeling sorry for himself? He felt sick with guilt. He could have prevented this, maybe, if he hadn't been so wrapped up in himself. If he'd been Chat Noir, he'd have tracked her before her trail was cold.

The school day ended and Adrien went straight home. He dumped Plagg out of his backpack onto his bed, placed a fresh slice of cheese in front of him, and said, "Plagg, I need to transform."

Plagg didn't touch the cheese. He squinted his bright green eyes at Adrien and said, "If it wasn't important enough to stay with Ladybug, it can't be that important now."

Adrien placed a second slice of cheese in front of him. "Plagg, I don't have time for this. Marinette has been missing for three, maybe four days. Ladybug is fighting akuma on her own. This is my fault. I have to find Marinette."

Plagg just crossed his arms. "What makes you think you can find one girl when you're such a miserable failure, huh?"

Adrien dropped to his knees beside the bed. "Plagg, please. I… I made a mistake. I did. I knew it was wrong when I did it, and I did it anyway. I shouldn't have left Ladybug. I'm sorry I abandoned you too. I'm sorry, all right?"

His kwami's eyes narrowed to slits.

Adrien handed him the entire round of cheese. Plagg turned his nose up to it.

"You said you quit. You were done. Even with Ladybug in more danger without your help, that didn't stop you. So what's changed?"

"Marinette isn't Ladybug! She can't protect herself! If something happened to her- I… I…"

He guessed Plagg's point before the kwami even opened his mouth to speak.

"You're right. She can't protect herself. Just like all the other civilians Chat Noir and Ladybug look after. Did you ever even think about them?"

Adrien's mouth was dry, and all his limbs felt heavy. No, he hadn't. He'd only been thinking about Ladybug. Wrong again. He'd only been thinking about himself.

The silence hung over them. Finally, Plagg sighed. "You gave up on me too, Adrien. You didn't think about that either, did you?"

Adrien tried to swallow past the lump rising in his throat and nearly choked. "I never meant to, Plagg. You have to know that…"

"Maybe you didn't mean for any of this to happen, but it did. You're Chat Noir. You have responsibilities. You can't just quit. The consequences, obviously, don't affect just you. The more people who are counting on you, the more people you hurt by just giving up."

"Plagg, I can't promise…"

"Yes you can!" Plagg said fiercely, his tiny canines flashing. "And you have to. You have to swear it. Either become Chat Noir for good, or find someone else who will."

Adrien sucked in a shaky breath, looking down at the ring on his right hand. He couldn't begin to undo the damage he'd caused without becoming Chat Noir. Without him, Ladybug suffered. Marinette was in danger. The city was more vulnerable to akuma than ever. He'd thought before that if Ladybug really needed him, he wouldn't leave her. What a load of crap. Not only did she need him, but so did the city. So did Plagg. His kwami watched him with wary green eyes, his tiny black paws kneading the cheese in front of him nervously. Adrien took another deep breath and let it out with a sound almost like relief as he placed his ring-bearing hand on his heart.

"I swear to you, Plagg. I'll become Chat Noir again, and I won't ever give up."

Plagg leapt into the air and cheered, shoving all the cheese into his mouth almost simultaneously. Adrien shot to his feet.

"Time to transform!"

It had been over a month since he'd last become Chat Noir, and he'd almost forgotten the rush. The confidence he felt that gave him the courage to run with Ladybug and defeat akuma, the increased strength to leap buildings, the heightened senses that let him see everything in the dark, distinguish the slightest differences in smells, and hear movements in the house a floor away- everything came back to him like fresh air after almost drowning. No wonder he'd nearly lost his mind without it. It hadn't only been Ladybug he'd been missing, and it didn't matter that he was running in the pouring rain, because at least he was running, and leaping, and _alive_. His muscles almost sang from the exertion he'd gone without for so long, the world, even at night, even in the middle of a thunderstorm, looked and smelled and sounded more amazing than ever. All that was missing was Ladybug. And Marinette.

He tried calling Ladybug twice, but she never picked up. He would have been more worried, except by now it was after midnight. She could very well be asleep. No matter. This was his mess. He had to fix it. Then he would confront Ladybug and beg her for forgiveness.

By the time he landed on the roof of the bakery, the adrenaline was shooting so quickly through his veins he was afraid he'd vibrate right out of his skin. With some careful lock-picking, he'd gotten Marinette's skylight open and slipped inside, shutting it quickly so he wouldn't flood her room with rain.

He couldn't help but admire how well Marinette's room suited her, even though he made out more shapes and less color with his night vision. It was airy and comfortable, with plenty of room dedicated to work and plenty to rest. He noticed, too, all the pictures of himself – well, Adrien – on the walls around her desk. It suddenly dawned on him that the real reason Marinette stammered around him was not because she was socially awkward, but because she liked him. Apparently a _lot_.

 _Focus, Chat. See if you can pick up a trail._

The whole room smelled like springtime and flowers and fresh laundry, all masked by the musk of rain. It was a smell that made him feel clean, but also welcome, like all his sins were forgiven. Marinette had that effect on everyone. He breathed in deeply, memorizing it. If he could only find another clue…

But nothing else gave him even an idea of where she could be. All her things were in order. Now he would just have to start searching the city for her scent.

The only problem with that was the rain. It would wash the world clean of Marinette, if it hadn't already.

Even though he knew it was futile, Chat called Ladybug one more time.

Something beeped in the far corner of the room.

Chat spun around, his staff in his hand and extended in defense. "Ladyb-"

A large ribbon shot out at him, wrapping around the staff and almost yanking it right out of his hands. He twisted and pulled back with all his might, throwing the owner of the ribbon over his shoulder and into the desk with a crash. He turned just in time to see a young woman with an enormous pair of scissors on her back leap to her feet. Her dress was made out of what looked like lengths of measuring tape tied around her torso like a mummy, with the skirt made of layers and layers of sewing patterns. She wore a mask that covered one half of her face, including her eye, completely. The other eye glared at him, the visible half of her mouth twisted up in a smile that was all at once familiar and alien. Her dark hair was held up in an elaborate bun by a mix of needles, pins, and smaller scissors.

"I knew you'd show up eventually, _Chat Noir!_ " the girl spat. "Everyone said you had disappeared, but I knew the truth. You just needed the right incentive to come out and play!"

Chat had barely enough time to dodge before the girl whipped half a dozen pins in his direction. They sank into the wall behind him like a knife through hot butter.

"Are you the one who took Marinette?" he demanded. "What are you, her evil rival in fashion desi-" He sucked in a breath, then dove for the light switch. The girl cried out as the lights blazed on, shielding her eyes with her hands. Chat just grabbed her wrists and forced them downward, then yanked off the mask and threw it aside, his heart sinking into his toes.

Marinette's blue eyes stared back at him, her pretty face twisted in a glare the likes of which he'd never seen from her before. He was too horrified to keep hold of her when she pulled her wrists from his grip, but when she shoved him away and pulled the enormous shears off her back, he came to his senses.

"Marinette- what happened?!" he demanded, readying his staff again. "What did Papillon promise you?"

Marinette pointed the shears at his chest, her blue eyes wild. "I am not Marinette! I am La Couturière! Papillon promised me that if I accepted his power, he'd bring you back to me!" And with a scream, she swung the shears toward his head. He blocked them with his staff, the clang of metal on metal rattling him to the teeth. Before she could pull away to swing again, he twisted his staff along the length of the blade, wrenching the sheers from her hand. With a deft flick of the wrist, he caught the sheers in his free hand, then tossed them to the far side of the room.

"Marinette, I'm here now," he said, fighting to keep his voice calm. He extended a clawed hand to her. "I didn't realize you were looking for me, but… I'm back." He remembered her outburst in class in his defense, and how Chloe had claimed that Marinette was in love with Chat Noir. Coming from Chloe, he didn't know how true that was, but perhaps the evidence was right in front of him. Marinette had been looking for him all this time, and it had driven her to Papillon's akuma instead.

Chat tried to clamp down on his rising panic. This was so much worse than he'd imagined, short of Marinette actually being dead. He couldn't purify the akuma inside of her without Ladybug's yo-yo. But he _could_ try to keep her from running off anywhere, at least until he could get in touch with Ladybug.

"I AM NOT MARINETTE!" La Couturière shrieked. She summoned a roll of ribbon from her belt and shot it out at him, this time pinning his arms to his sides and dragging him back toward her. Her gloved hand seized his collar, bringing his face close to hers. "And you've been a bad kitty."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Chat Noir had fought classmates before.

He'd even fought friends before.

But Marinette wasn't a classmate, and she wasn't a friend either. Marinette was… special.

If he hadn't been so madly in love with Ladybug, Adrien would have asked her out ages ago. As it was, her smile still made him smile right back, her laugh made his stomach do funny flips, and anytime he got to look into those huge blue eyes of hers, he had to look away quickly before he got lost.

All of this, of course, meant it hurt him almost as much as it hurt her when he threw La Couturière against the far wall of the room, causing said beautiful blue eyes to squeeze shut from the pain.

 _Think. Think think think think think._

He and Ladybug had never had to _capture_ an akumatized victim before. As soon as the person had been stunned, knocked over, or slowed down in any way, Ladybug had swooped in, broken their cursed object, and set the akuma free. But Ladybug wasn't here, and he'd probably have to wait until morning to get a hold of her.

First thing's first, he had to get Marinette out of her own room. Not only did it give her a distinct advantage, knowing the terrain, but he also didn't want to have to deal with her parents if they woke up and came rushing in to see what all the noise was about.

As Marinette - La Couturière - stumbled to her feet, Chat Noir backed up to the skylight. She followed him like they were opposite magnets, pulling another roll of ribbon off her belt and swinging it like a lasso. The motion reminded him so sharply of Ladybug that his hand almost slipped unlatching the skylight. His train of thought derailed when the skylight popped open and freezing rain poured down on him. He let out a strangled hiss of surprise and Marinette - _La Couturière_ – actually froze for a moment and laughed. Not a cackle, but a spluttering giggle, which she covered with her free gloved hand.

It killed him. Marinette was in there, just below the surface, suppressed by all the bad feelings that allowed the akuma to control her. He couldn't hurt her. He could barely bring himself to fight her.

The ribbon swinging in La Couturière's hand suddenly shot out at him. He dodged, and the edge of it sliced across his cheek, stinging in the rain like the finest of papercuts. Her giggle turned into a maniacal laugh that chilled his bones.

 _FOCUS Chat Noir!_

He leaped out of the skylight, silently apologizing for soaking Marinette's room with the intruding rain, and readied his staff. When La Couturière emerged, she had her enormous sheers back in hand, and a handful of needles in the other. The balcony was an uncomfortably small place to do battle, but leaping over rooftops to gain more elbow room wasn't an option. The last thing Chat Noir wanted was for Marinette to slip off a building in the rain and be hurt.

He realized a moment later he should really be worrying about his own safety first when La Couturière's shears came flying at him, wide open to slice him in half.

"Cataclysm!" he screamed, throwing his hand out in front of him. The shears struck his burning palm and the metal rusted away, flinging the two halves of the sheers off either side of the roof. He barely had time to raise his staff in defense when the needles shot toward him too. La Couturière was ridiculously fast, and she had a good arm and even better aim, not at all what he expected from Marinette. It was all he could do to knock her weapons away with his staff.

When she threw her ribbon at him again, though, he was ready. He twisted his staff out in front of him like a mini tornado, and the ribbon wound itself all the way up, tangling it beyond help. With a yank, La Couturière went flying toward him, but when he reached out to grab her, she took his wrist in one hand, slammed her other hand onto his head, and pushed off of him in an impressive front flip toward the roof behind him. She would have stuck the landing if it hadn't been for the rain. With a shriek, she slipped off the edge of the roof.

"Marinette!" Chat Noir screamed. He leaped over the edge, extending his staff to slam down into the street below them, then slid down it with one hand while reaching for La Couturière with the other. Before his eyes, he watched her twist in midair, throw a ribbon like a lasso up to the roof, and swing back to safety.

It was something he'd watched Ladybug do hundreds of times with her yo-yo. Time slowed as he watched her fly in a graceful, _perfect_ arc through the rain and land on the edge of the roof. He was still looking up at her when he landed on the ground in a heap.

Maybe it was the deafening thunder that rolled through the ground at that moment, or the roar of the rain, or the ringing in his ears, but Chat Noir's quick reflexes failed him in that moment. He laid there, stunned and confused, his body aching but his mind whirling too fast. Marinette moved like Ladybug. He would know, more than anyone. He had always watched Ladybug openly, admiring her skill in battle, her flawless poise, her most subtle body language. Marinette's attacks, acrobatics, everything mirrored Ladybug.

But what sense did that make? Marinette wasn't a superhero. She was so _normal_. And not in a demeaning way. She was so down to earth. She worried about tests and she showed up late to school. She had to deal with bullies with nothing more than her quick wit and her patience. She was a safe place to be, a shelter from storms. She saw him and she smiled at him like he was the only person in the world she wanted to see. It was her normalcy he loved about her. It was Ladybug's extraordinary that he loved about _her_.

Those two sides couldn't make up the same person. Could they?

His raging emotions aside, small facts started filtering into Chat's aching head as he slowly tested his limbs, making sure he hadn't broken any bones. Marinette's tears after the akuma attack, that fateful day he'd walked away from Ladybug. Now it made sense why she hadn't looked afraid, only sad. Her outburst in front of the classroom in defense of Chat Noir's disappearance. Her growing depression and fatigue while Ladybug's fights grew more difficult and more numerous. And, in the days she had been missing, there had been no sign of Ladybug, and no akuma attacks.

When he'd called Ladybug, her yo-yo had started to ring somewhere in her room.

Chat groaned and started to push himself off the cobblestones. La Couturière's shadow fell over him. When he looked up at her, he drank in her face, her dark hair plastered to her skin, hanging loose now that she's pulled all the pins out of it. Her enormous blue eyes, deep like the sea, deep like the sky, deep deep deep, drowning him. He imagined Ladybug's mask on her face, and it looked wrong and right all at once.

"Chat Noir, you are a disappointment and a joke," she said softly, almost gently, like she was sharing a well-guarded secret. "You can't be trusted. Certainly you can't be worthy of your Miraculous."

When she knelt by his side, she took his hand in hers like a lover, and Chat Noir needed a moment to remember why this was a bad thing. His Miraculous ring beeped a warning. His time was running out. Before La Couturière could pull the ring from his finger, he gripped her hand tightly in his. He pulled her closer and she let him. She let him study her face slowly, memorizing all the details, illuminated only by the street lamps and their watery reflections in the street. The same freckles sprinkled Marinette's nose as Ladybug's. He heard himself laugh. Her freckles. How many signs had he been shown and he should have known just by that. What a fool he'd been. How little he'd actually known.

La Couturière's – _Marinette's_ – face scrunched up. "What are you laughing at, bad kitty?"

"I'm just thinking how lucky I am to have nine lives," Chat Noir said, a lopsided smirk spreading over his face, summoning all of his most confident memories with Ladybug. If he didn't believe he could make things right, he'd run away again. He'd sworn to Plagg he never would. "I think I lost a life when I left you, Ladybug. I lost it because I took it for granted. But I have eight more, and if you'll forgive me, I'll spend them all trying to make it right with you."

Marinette opened her mouth to speak, and Chat Noir pulled her into a hug. She struggled to pull free, but he held her firm, one hand behind her head, the other on her lower back. They knelt there in the rain for a long moment, and then Chat Noir pulled the earrings he knew would be in her ears out into his free hand and threw them against the cobblestones. They shattered, and an akuma butterfly fluttered out.

"And now, if my luck holds…" Still keeping Marinette against him in one arm, he climbed to his feet. He held out his shortened staff, and the butterfly landed on the end. Marinette watched it, dazed and confused, as the staff extended again, propelling them all back up to the roof. Chat Noir helped Marinette back into her room, closing the skylight tightly so that the akuma couldn't escape again, then stopped short for a moment in the middle of the room, lost on how to proceed.

When he looked over at Marinette, she was sitting on her bed, still looking like La Couturière. Her face was blank, her eyes unseeing, but clearly she was breathing. He wondered if it was because he'd separated her from the akuma giving her power. Speaking of which…

A few minutes later, he came back into the room with Marinette's broken earrings. If he lost these and somehow managed to get Marinette back to normal, he was pretty sure she wouldn't thank him for destroying Ladybug's Miraculous. Still, if he could somehow reset everything and purify the akuma, the earrings would be fixed too. If only Ladybug were here- but she was! And wasn't. Chat clutched his head, groaning. What a tangled mess. Not only was Marinette two people, but now she was trapped as a third that could only be saved by one of her other 'selves'. And it was all his fault…

 _Think, Chat. Don't pity yourself, you don't have time for that. There has to be a way to fix this._

He almost didn't hear his ring beeping its final warning at first, but then it hit him he'd be turning back any second now. The familiar panic washed over him when he looked over at Marinette, but it stopped as quickly as it had started. He knew her now. Shouldn't she know him? Then he realized she probably wasn't even conscious, still trapped in the akumatized version of herself, cut off from her power and the voice of Papillon in her ear. Was she even seeing him right now?

Either way, he realized, if he transformed here, he'd be taking the decision away from her. She was already mad at him. If she found out who he was, a person she liked very much also being her partner whom she didn't care about romantically, who _also_ happened to be the boy who had walked out on her… well, he wouldn't complicate it more. First he had to secure the akuma though. He found a hat box in the corner of the room, opened it, and froze.

A tiny pink creature with huge blue eyes lay curled inside. Ladybug's kwami. Chat Noir had never seen her, but he knew that could only be what she was. When the lid of the hatbox popped open, the kwami looked up, alert and ready for a fight, and her eyes widened when she saw who it was.

"Chat Noir?!" She shot out of the box, her rescuer already forgotten, searching the dark room. When she spotted Marinette, she let out a cry of horror and flew to her, landing in her lap. "Marinette?! Marinette, it's me! It's Tikki! Can you hear me?"

Marinette gave no response, her eyes distant. Tikki's tiny hands flew to her mouth, holding back a tearful squeak, and she slowly floated up to Marinette's shoulder, pressing herself against her chosen's cheek.

"Tikki?" Chat said carefully, testing the name. The kwami looked up at him with tears in her eyes. "I know she's Ladybug now. I'll do everything I can to help, Tikki, I promise. I have to turn back for a few minutes, but I'll be right back, okay?"

Tikki just nodded, turning back to Marinette's still form. Since she clearly wasn't going anywhere, he slipped downstairs into the darkened apartment, then down to the bakery, where he transformed back into Adrien Agreste.

Plagg flopped down onto one of the counters, grumbling to himself. "Geez, I'm out of shape," he whined.

"How can Marinette be Ladybug?" Adrien asked him. "What are the odds that a girl at my same school, in my same _class_ , also chose to carry a Miraculous? What if… What if Papillon is another classmate too?"

"I don't control who gets a Miraculous and who doesn't," Plagg argued, searching around for some cheese. Adrien handed him a wrapped croissant from one of the bake cases instead, putting the appropriate change next to the register.

"Still- it's _Marinette!_ Do you know what this means, Plagg? She likes me! She likes me, and I like her, but she's also _Ladybug_ , and I love Ladybug, but I'm also Chat Noir, and she _doesn't like Chat Noir!_ " He suddenly remembered himself and lowered his voice. "How am I going to do this? I need to purify the akuma. Plagg- you… you said I have potential. Do you know anything about how to purify an akuma?"

Plagg shook his head, tearing off another piece of the croissant. "Nothing, Adrien."

"But I do," Tikki's soft voice came from the stairs. Adrien and Plagg both jumped, spinning in horror to see the pink kwami floating into the room. She was more composed now, her face fixed with determination. When she looked to Adrien, though, her eyes softened and she smiled. "I'm so glad it's you, Adrien. Don't worry. Marinette will be too. She'll forgive you, I know it."

Adrien's heart felt like it was melting into his toes and rising into his throat all at once. The relief he felt in that moment couldn't be measured. That promise coming from Ladybug's kwami, her closest and most trusted friend and partner, meant more than anything apart from Ladybug's word herself. "Thanks, Tikki. It's good to finally meet you," he managed with a shaky smile.

Tikki nodded, her smile fading. "I just wish it was under happier circumstances." Her eyes moved to Plagg, searching him curiously, and he did the same. "You haven't changed at all," she said, her tone unreadable, and Plagg shifted nervously.

"Neither have you," he admitted.

That brought out a smile. "You'll have to change now. There's no time to lose. If we don't purify the akuma sent to Marinette, she'll stay frozen like that forever. I can't do it without Ladybug, so you and Adrien will have to."

"Chat Noir can do that?" Adrien asked, his mouth falling open. Tikki nodded.

"We kwami evolve with every new chosen. We've never had to purify akuma before, just like akuma have never been filled with darkness to stain people's hearts. Our powers are the same, but what we can do with them depends on our chosen. Since Papillon can create akuma that stain people's hearts, the world needed heroes who could purify those akuma. When you and Marinette were chosen, we gained the skill to do just that." She looked to Plagg. "Both of us. But since the beginning of your partnership, Ladybug was the one purifying akuma, so your ability to do it staid dormant."

Plagg's eyes widened as Tikki floated to him, her tiny paws taking hold of his head. Her forehead brushed his, and a spark passed between them. When Plagg opened his eyes, his little mouth fell open.

"I see it now, Adrien," he said softly. "We can do it! We can purify the akuma!"

Adrien had to shake himself, this new knowledge was too much in one moment. "I can save Marinette?"

Tikki smiled and nodded. "You always could, Adrien. Don't ever doubt yourself or your kwami. Ladybug is always strongest with Chat Noir. She has always needed you." She tilted her head, her smile turning just a little bit mischievous. "I'd even say she's always loved you."

Adrien shook his head again, trying to stop his thoughts from whirling. "Plagg, let's go!" he said, almost rushing up the stairs still as Adrien, then tripping when he realized he was without his kwami. "I-I mean, Plagg, transform me!"

When Chat Noir and Tikki came up the stairs, Marinette was exactly where they'd left her. Chat Noir took a deep breath, opened the hatbox holding the akuma, and held out his staff. The words flowed through him, Plagg sending the spell to him that would purify the akuma, imbuing the words with power. A small slot opened in the staff, and he scooped the akuma into it, closing it inside the metal rod. "I'm freeing you from evil, akuma." The slot in the staff opened, and a white butterfly fluttered out. He opened the skylight for it. The rain had stopped, the whole world washed clean. "Goodbye, butterfly." He extended his staff, twirled it over his head, and slammed the end down into the floor. A shockwave of magic shot through the room, and Marinette slumped over, her strange dress and weapons replaced by her school clothes and purse. Ladybugs earrings sat on the desk, whole once again.

Chat Noir hurried to Marinette, scooping her up in his arms. "My Lad- ah, Marinette! Everything's okay now, you're free." His heart was pounding so hard he thought it would leap right out of his chest. He had so much to say that he couldn't say to Marinette, that had to wait for Ladybug's ears. Should he even tell her he knew who she was?

Marinette's eyes squeezed shut, then flew open, taking in the room. "Wha… where…" When her eyes landed on him, she stopped. He could see her thoughts slowing to a stop behind her eyes. "Ch… Chat Noir?"

He tried to smile, but he felt more like crying. "I'm sorry, Marinette." He pulled her close, hugging her so tight he could have crushed her. "I'm so sorry I left you. I won't ever leave again. I promise." A promise for Ladybug too.

At first Marinette was so shocked she couldn't move. Then he felt her arms slowly wind around him, her fingers curling in the leather of his suit, then in his hair, clinging to him desperately. "My kitty," he heard her whisper, like a shock of lightning going through him, and he smiled into her shoulder. Her body trembled with sobs, and he stroked her hair, wishing like he never had before that in this moment, he was Adrien, and he didn't have the leather gloves in between his skin and hers.

Eventually, Marinette's tears slowed, but she didn't let him go, and Chat Noir was glad for that, because he was pretty sure he never wanted her out of his arms again. Marinette fell asleep with her face buried in the dip of his shoulder, and eventually he laid her down on the bed and pulled slowly out of her arms, fighting every fitful desire in his heart to keep her close.

"I'll see you soon, Milady," he whispered, grinning. Then he slipped out of the skylight and disappeared into the night.

* * *

Papillon's window slowly wound shut, leaving his observatory in darkness. He wiped a hand over his eyes, trying to steady his breathing.

"Ladybug... Is Marinette Dupain-Cheng?"


End file.
